I Dreamt of Her

by ben717

Chapter 26: Master the Body

Twilight was right you know? About this whole magic thing. I did get stronger. Not only did I get stronger. I was starting to get good. The more I worked with the magic that I had borrowed. The more it became my own. The magic that I had at first stolen was becoming a part of me. Whether you take the previous statement literally or metaphorically, it couldn't be denied that my skill was growing.

When I first stepped off that train back in Ponyville, I was someone completely different. I once again had a purpose and a goal. The ambition that had back on Earth had returned to me at long last. I felt that I could once again be somebody. Not just another Pony who lived, worked, and then died. I felt like I had a chance once again to make a mark.

The first thing I did upon my return to Ponyville? I quit my job. I wanted, and needed more time devoted to my studies. I had moved on from the type of science I had known previously. Magic was a game changer. No longer was I doing Biology on my down time. No longer was I studying the behavior of basic chemical reactions, but studying the behavior of Magic itself.

Twilight was the hardest on me. No longer did I get off of studies because of work, but that’s ok. She can only teach me so much in one day. She was thrilled to have the opportunity to teach somepony magic. Not just any somepony either, somepony who had an almost entirely clean slate. I knew almost no magic at the time. Any spell I had cast was either on accident or because I had practiced a little bit, for example Projections.

The Projection Spell was probably one of the simplest, yet underused spells in the book, and I had nearly mastered it. I could cast more than one projection at a time, and the most I had ever attempted was seven. The only problem I ran into anymore was trying to think for all of them at once. The projections act like animations. You tell them what to do and they do it. You can make one act like a person and hold up a conversation, but you had to be mentally present one hundred percent of the time. With the seven, I made them all do things, but every once in a while you'd have one blankly staring at a wall, like a zombie with no brain. Sometimes they would do stupid things on their own. Once I accidentally fell asleep with the Amulet on and I woke up to a Projection banging its head against the bookshelf, falling down, and standing up to repeat the action over and over and over until I put a stop to it. Luckily I could use magic to clean up the mess quickly.

Levitation was possibly the most interesting form of magic I can think of. It’s characteristics are different than other forms of magic. It’s raw, there isn't a spell that you have to remember in order to do it. It’s like when you extend your hand to do something. It’s an active trait, but you don’t have to think about it so it seems passive. The truth is, you just have to exercise it like any other muscle in the body. It was amazing. The more and more I worked at it, the more I could do. It quickly occurred to me that not only could I lift heavier things, but I could make the magic behave. My movements could be both extremely large as well as ridiculously small. Small enough that I could reach between two objects that were only separated by a minuscule crack. I was able to pick a lock with nothing but magic and the ability to guess where the pins were located. With everything I learned I began to trust unicorns less and less, but not really.

The largest thing I was able to lift at this point in time was myself. It took a respectable amount of effort and I could only do it for a few seconds, but I was hovering none the less.

But probably the most impressive thing I have done so far with magic is being able to throw things. Now I know what you’re thinking. “Oh big deal, throwing things.” Well that’s what I thought when I picked up a rock while I was beside the lake near town. I thought that I could enhance my skipping ability by using magic. So, I chose myself the best rock I could find and took it in my hand. But this time, I also gripped it with magic. A double grasp, if you will. I floated the thing around my palm a bit before hand to get a feel for it. Once done with the inspection, I placed it back into the palm of my hand. I reared back and chucked the rock as hard as I could. It traveled a foot or two before I magically pushed the rock as hard as I could.

The next thing I knew there was a loud *CRACK* and the water I was aiming at exploded where the rock had rebounded and was now sailing into the distance. I only saw it for a second before it was out of visual range and it disappeared into the woods. Somewhere far off in the distance I heard glass break, quite loudly.

Little did I know I had scared the hay out of Fluttershy, whose house I had managed to hit from more than quarter mile away. She told me that it was fine because things get broken around her home all the time, but to please not do that again, of course, if it was ok with me.

But none of that mattered at the moment, because right now… I was drowning.

“GHSMSN?!” Cried my lungs, but I had to make it to the end or they would never let me in.

I may have had a friend in the higher ups, but there was no way the Royal Guard was gonna just let some kid in off of a whim. Hell, most of the ponies I was training with right now had worked for years to get here. I was no doubt the youngest one here, but I was determined to be the best.

50 meters underwater was the minimum and I was nearly there. As my arms pumped and my legs kicked I saw my vision began to fade. As I neared the edge of the pool, I reached out as far as I could. That was about when I passed out from lack of oxygen.

…

When I came to, I was laying on my back. Standing above me were two other recruits and then there was-

“What the hay are you doing on the ground, Pipsqueak?” shouted Maelstrom, the minotaur that Sunfire had ever so graciously chosen to train the recruits.

I coughed up a little water before I was able to speak again.

“d-d-Di- Did I m-make it?” I struggled.

The old minotaur looked down at me with some level of respect, but being the trainer that he is, “Not even close, Two Legs.”

“Damn…” I hiss out, “At least tell me nopony kissed me.”

The old Minotaur laughed and stood up from his perch over me. Then the two recruits whom I had been assigned to assisted in helping me stand.

“Thanks guys…” I said to them.

“No problem, Two Legs.” Said Rain Gauge.

Once I felt I was able to stand properly, I released myself from their aid.

“Dang,” I said again, “I really thought I had it this time.”

“Hey, you did fine Two Legs,” Assured Gilded Compass, “You’ll get it next time I’m sure.”

These two were my saving grace on more than one occasion.

Rain Gauge is a strangely kind pony, at least until she's put into the sparring ring. She’s always there to help you out when you find yourself in a jam. She’s the type of pony who’s got your back. She is the daughter of two weather ponies. Not the kind of weather pony that you are used to. But the kind that guesses the weather. Rain Gauge and her family are all Earth Ponies. Normally, Pegasi are the ones who regulate the weather, however… Her parents both were fascinated with the weather of the Everfree, and other areas similar. They want to know why the weather is so bizarre around those areas, and that is how they met.

Rain Gauge tells me that she didn't particularly have an interest in the weather, but she was always drawn to the idea of herself in golden studded armor and standing watch over the Empire.

Now Gilded Compass was a different story. He’s quiet, reserved, and very smart. Of course, you wouldn't know it if you gave him a map. His popular nickname around here is “Broken,” as in Broken Compass. He can’t tell a compass from a stop watch. He comes from a family of… well, you could probably guess. Mapmakers. This lack of navigation skills is what led him away from the life of a Cartographer and ultimately into the hooves of the Royal Guard.

Then there’s me. But you already know me. I’m that two legged creature that crawled out of a hole in the Everfree. They call me Short, the call me Ben, they call me Iron Man. Now? My name is Two Legs, and I was officially a citizen, and almost a soldier of the Celestial Empire. My leaders were the Princesses of Equestria. My loyalty lie with the Equestrian flag. This land that I had fallen into was now my own.

We hit the showers. Lucky for me, the underwater segment of the training was the final course of the day. That’s the way it is, mostly for the very same reason I was yanked out of the water about a half an hour ago.

The shower room was long, it had shower heads spaced approximately six feet from each other in rows. The floor was tiled and had a large drain in the center of the room. Though it wasn't what some would call fancy. The mares and stallions were only separated by a half-wall of metal that is similar to a stall in a restroom back home that you could see ponies hooves under. Now I mean, most of the time ponies are naked so I don’t understand why they separate genders like we do, but I suppose water immediately makes ponies sexier? I’m sure there’s a legitimate reason, but I’ve never asked nor do I feel like it.

At the moment I was close to the separation wall so that I could converse with Rain who was on the other side.

“So what do you think the problem is?” She asked as I washed under my arms.

“There isn't anything out of the ordinary wrong with me. I just can’t hold my breath for very long. I never have been able to hold it for an insane amount of time. You ponies can do it no problem, but realistically… I’m not a pony.”

“Really? You're joking!” Jokes Rain.

“Yeah! Believe it or not I walk on two legs!” I say.

“Astounding!” She replies.

Gilded Compass approaches from the other side of the shower room.

“Hey. I just was told of a rumor going around.” He says.

“Whats up?” I ask.

“Supposedly the higher ups are going to only allow one more run through of the course. Tomorrow morning bright and early.” He said.

“What?” I almost shout, “Why in the world would they do that?”

“They don’t know, it’s just a rumor. But either way we should be prepared for the worst. What’s the game plan?”

I knock on the wall next to me, “Yo Rain, you hearing this?”

“Yes.” She says from the other side.

We then exit the showers and head for the mess hall. As we walk I slip my cadet uniform back on. They gave me everything, boots, a shirt, a jacket, and some pants. I guess that’s the benefit of being an alien. You need clothes to be tailored to your exact specifications.

The other trainees uniforms were similar to mine, at least as similar as they could be. They were the same style, colored the Celestial gold with white accents. Though they were just trainee uniforms so they were for throwing them through the loops. Mine already had a few tears here and there from running the course.

The course for those stuck on the ground was huge and was at its core a giant obstacle course. In order to have any hopes of passing trainees and their assigned unit had to make it through, together and as a whole. Those who couldn't make it by the end of the program were cut. Given the rumors, that date was tomorrow. I almost never doubt the rumors I hear around here. Most have turned out to be true.

Its rules were fairly simple, get to the finish as fast as you can.

The course was divided into eight segments. The first, was a jumping segment. The segment was almost a quarter mile long, four-hundred meters. A pony had to keep his balance while jumping from platform to platform without falling. This training was based on the fact that magic was quickly upping the scales of destruction when it came to combat. Earth ponies had to be ready for terrain breaking away from below them. Lucky for me there were a few spots where I, using my hands could swing from a crossbar above and get away from a falling platform, however this courses point is it get your team across, not just one soldier.

The second was a wall, or should I say several of them? They varied in height and thickness. Ponies had to use teamwork to climb up them and get over them. Some of them, using my height advantage I could climb up very easily and pull my comrades over with me. This part of the course was some of our best.

The third was actually better for ponies. It was a weighted run. They took no liberties with me, they gave me the same weight as every other pony. The only difference is, where ponies have four legs to carry things in saddle-bags, I have two. The strain was enormous at first, but after a while I grew strong enough to carry it the whole way. I was never quite as quick as the other ponies, but I got the job done.

The fourth was probably my favorite. Once you reached the fourth obstacle you found yourself looking down over a chasm. Next to the path you find a railing with climbing gear. As quickly as you could, your team had to gear up and take a leap of faith over the cliff face. Some of the trainees nearly lost their lives the first few run throughs. They didn't have their knots tied how they should've and it came undone mid jump. Luckily, there were pegasi overseeing the whole thing so nopony got hurt. My pants had loops tailored into them so that I didn't have to hassle with a harness. I’m not sure why they did this, or why it was just for me. My best guess is that somepony didn't want to have to make a uniform AND a harness so they just made it the best of both worlds. It turned in my benefit because I could just snap on the rope, tie it off to the rail, and go.

Once your team had repelled to the bottom, that is where you found the next step. The fifth segment was the climb back up, but here was the tricky part. There was a part with gear and then a part without. The first part was with. You had to be able to toss your rope around something, for example, a tree growing out of the cliff side. Anything that would hold your weight. Your team then had to work together to belay your partners until he or her reached a point where they could belay you so that you didn't fall. For those of you who don’t know what belay is, Google is your friend.

The second part of the fifth segment was without gear. You climb till about halfway through where the terrain was no longer a wall of broken up rocks, it became somewhat of a slope, but the rocks still required scaling. This I excelled in, because even though ponies had the magic in their hooves that allowed them to grip, it wasn't as practical as physical fingers. Therefore I was the one to lead the charge on this, and find a path that best suited the ponies abilities. When it came to climbing, my team was unstoppable.

The sixth was an all out run. Three miles, under 20 minutes. I had to be in the best shape of my life. The fastest I’d ever run that distance on Earth was an 18:36, and my now more developed body and the rich Equestrian air allowed me to run faster than ever before. But never forget that there were more obstacles past that, not to mention the ones I had just completed. What I would be doing was at its core a marathon of a type. The others could keep up with me just fine. In fact most were faster than me, I guess that one time I beat Hot Shot just meant he was a slow runner.

Part seven is where it began to become difficult for me. Swimming. At the end of the run you found yourself nearing the actual camp. You end up doing a large loop around the countryside by the time you get to this part. There you find a pool. 50 meters long. Ponies were supposed to be able to swim half a mile. That would be 800 meters or 8 laps, a lap being one down and back. I had usually had no trouble here because of my running background but there has been a few bad days where my arms fail me from fatigue. However, if the rumors are true then I will need everything.

Part eight is the one that puts everypony on their last legs. Its simple. 50 meters. One down. That’s it. This was the final task that I had not yet been able to accomplish. I had spent almost eight weeks here strengthening my body, I had almost everything mastered except for this one thing. The underwater. Ponies had the anatomical advantage. Their bodies were smaller and their lungs were bigger. Even with this, I was not given any handicap. That’s how I wanted it, if I were to get into a pony institution, I was going to train like one.

“Alright, whats the game plan?” Asks Rain Gauge as we sat and ate.

‘Broken’ pulls out a map of the course and lays it out across the table.

“Ok here’s the plan..” he starts as I lean in to get a better view of the map.

“We can all do the first segment without many issues, so the basic concept is to not fall off. However, Two Legs, given that you only have two legs, you are the one most vulnerable to a fall. You will take point as we maneuver through this first obstacle, Rain or I will be able to catch you. Remember to take your time, we have a long way to go and this isn't a race, at least not until the running segment.”

“Understood.” I say, “Alright boss, what’s next?”

“We are going to go with the usual strategy. You use your height to get to the top where you can, and help assist the more vertically challenged, if needed of course.” He says, defending he and Rains pride.

“Fair enough.” I say.

“For the third, all I can tell you is try to keep up, I know you can. Any time we lose here we can make up in the fourth and fifth leg.”

“Got it.”

“For the fourth part, Rain will take point.” Says Gilded.

“Me?” Asks Rain.

“Yes, you are the lightest one here so we can get you down the quickest.” He then turns to me, “You and I will be belaying her during her decent. Then I will go, followed by you. I know how much you like to leap over that edge. You must go last because I want to be at the bottom when you go considering you weigh the most of all of us.”

“Got it.” I say.

“The way up will be in reverse.” He says pointing to the chasm. “You are the most skilled climber here. Better than most Minotaurs, so therefore I need you to pick the safest route you can. You will be the lead man here. Rain and I will belay you, then you will belay me, then we will belay Rain. Once to the second part of the climb we will ditch the gear as quickly as possible and you will once again lead. Assisting where needed.”

“Next… We run. Simple as that. Try to stick together as much as possible, we have to complete as a unit or our time won’t be counted. If you get split up then you could put us all in jeopardy. Once we get to the pool, its fair game. A fight to the finish. Past that point we are no longer a unit as far as the qualifications go. Each must swim their way to the finish.”

He looks at Rain and I, “Now have no doubt that I will be there for you in support, but we are no longer able to assist one another. Legs seven and eight will be up to you…” He pauses, “Listen, we are the best unit here. If anypony will complete this course it will be us.”

With this I stand to go take care of my dishes. I walk back into the kitchen where several ponies are doing the same. I rinse my tray off and use a bit of dish soap to get any traces of grease and grime off of it. Once done I place the tray back in the stack where the others are drying. I walk back out into the mess hall then out the door.

Before I leave I hear Gilded Compass call across the room, “Remember! When your body tells you it can go no further…”

I turn to him one final time before I turn in for the night.

“… force it further. Only then will you ever truly be in control.”

Author's Note:

Well hello everyone. Where do I start?

About a month ago and a half ago is when I last updated this story. Since then many things have happened since then.

I suppose the most important thing to tell you is that a month and a half ago I almost wasn't going to be able to come back to write this at all. Or anything for that matter. In fact. I honestly don't know how I'm still here.

What the hay is he blabbering about?

I was involved in a car accident that, statistically, I shouldn't be alive. Let alone walking away from it.

I hit a patch of black ice, Ice that forms (usually at night) when water runs over the road during the day and refreezes during the night. I lost control, spun out, and went down a hill. The car was totaled. Completely destroyed. (iPad survived Apple: 1 Microsoft: 0) But I managed to walk out of that wreckage with nothing more than a mild cut on the back of my head.

I had to get several stitches, but since I've been gone, the cut has already healed, stitches removed and now I have a pretty badass scar on the back of my head.

Then I had to come back and deal with school. It wasn't too bad, but we have a tradition around here once Basketball Homecoming rolls around. We have a school wide lip sync. Gotta practice for that stuff.

Needless to say, I've been rather busy over the past month. However... I come bearing a gift. A gift of literature. This chapter and the next I think are the best that I've written, maybe not on the entertainment aspect. But the aspect that it is well written. Not just a jumble of somewhat funny happenings and humorous dialogue. I believe it flows better than some of my previous chapters. Perhaps you will see it.

So in conclusion don't worry I'm completely fine and back in action. (Can't wait till Winter Wrap Up though.) Sick of this *buy some apples*

Comments

[Falinov]

Very good man I love it. A big change from your normal humorous attitude.
Good luck on your "lip syncing" hehe ttys

[Blade Star]

Whoa, that car accident sounds pretty brutal. Worst I've ever done is tear a mudguard from off the front bumper. Still, you must have looked pretty epic walking away from a smash like that.

[Gyro Pony]

Luna was watching over you mate!!

[Eliseo221]

Glad you are okay bro! I come from PA so I know how that that stuff is